The traditional rowhouse form was a result of economical use of available space and materials that provided its occupants a home that fulfilled functional and societal needs. The result was a series of rooms along a travel corridor with a distinct underlining organization. The typology was established by certain characteristics of spatial configuration, constructional methods and ordering systems that kept the building economical. Popular attempts to accommodate modern needs into these buildings have lead to implementing the "open-plan" concept and creating a series of floors verses a series of rooms.
This thesis explores the rowhouse within the modern context of Washington D.C. and attempts to redefined the typology for new construction. The desire is to resort back to the historical relevance of the individual room and create a typology appropriate for modern single-family needs. Four empty sites, each with their own context and conditions within the cityscape, are used to create four individual rowhouses that exemplify this new typology. The proposed row houses exhibit architectural structuralism and phenomenology, resulting in four rowhouses that complete the context they are set in, yet emerge with their own identity. / Master of Architecture / The exploration of typology in architecture is a historical and contemporary phenomena that classifies physical characteristics of the built environment into distinct types. An architectural typology instills historical continuity and spatial hierarchy, which guides and develops each design.
This thesis explores the historical characteristics that make the typology of a rowhouse distinctive and re-examines it to accommodate the modern needs of a newly built rowhouse. The narrow space enclosed by two parallel walls creates a unique list of challenges for the typology. The need for light and air, the economic use of space, and personal desire drive architectural design decisions and a hierarchical order must be established to achieve this. This exploration ends with four different proposed rowhouse designs located in Washington D.C.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/73672 |
| Date | 12 December 2016 |
| Creators | Murray, Teryn Nicole |
| Contributors | Architecture, Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C., Feuerstein, Marcia F., Holt, Jaan |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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